The Karnak King List, a list of early Egyptian kings engraved in stone, was located in the southwest corner of the Festival Hall of Thutmose III, in the middle of the Precinct of Amun-Re, in the Karnak Temple Complex, in modern Luxor, Egypt. Composed during the reign of Thutmose III, it listed sixty-one kings beginning with Sneferu from Egypt's Old Kingdom. Only the names of thirty-nine kings are still legible, and one (Intef the Elder) is not written in a cartouche.

It is not a complete list of the Egyptian pharaohs, as other kings are known from other ancient lists, but this list is valuable as it contains the names of kings of the First and Second Intermediate Periods, which are omitted in most other king lists.

It was first described by James Burton in 1825.Burton, James: "Excerpta Hieroglypica", Plate Ia, Cairo, 1825 In 1843, a German expedition directed by Egyptologist Karl Lepsius was traveling up the Nile River to Karnak. A French adventurer, Émile d'Avennes, dismantled and stole the blocks containing the king list one night in order to secure it for France, and sent it home."L'Illustration, Journal Universel", Vol. VII, p 244-245, Paris 1846Monderson, Frederick. "Temple of Karnak: The Majestic Architecture of Ancient Kemet" p. 58 Severely damaged, it is now on display at the LouvreChapelle des ancêtres in the Sully wing, Rez-de-chaussée, Room 12, Catalogue number E13481bis in Paris.

Drawing of the list

Description of the list The list features the name of the pharaoh followed by the actual one inscribed on the list. The list comprises three sections and is divided at the center. The numbering follows Lepsius,Abhandlungen der Königlichen Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1852 (1853) p.455 counting from the sides, toward the center. Pharaohs that are known have the damaged part of the inscribed name in parentheses.

Left side Top Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 1. Neferkare I? (Neferkare) nTr-nfr-<-ra-nfr-kA->-P11-xrw-nTr*nfr:nb(reconstitution) 2. Sneferu Sneferu sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-s*nfr:r-w->-P11-xrw-w 3. Sahure Sahure nTr-nfr-<-ra-sAH-w->-P11-xrw-w 4. Nyuserre Ini Ini nTr-nfr-<-i-in:n->-P11-xrw-w 5. Djedkare Isesi Isesi nTr-nfr-<-i-i-s-s->-P11-xrw-w 6. 7. 8. Sekhemre Sementawy Djehuty Sekhemre Sementawy nTr-nfr-<-ra-abA-s-mn:N17:N17->-P11-xrw-w Second Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 9. 10. Intef II Intef G5-HASH-<-ini-n:t:f->-mAa:a-xrw-w 11. Intef I? In(tef) G5-HASH-<-ini-n-HASH->-mAa:a-xrw-w 12. Mentuhotep I Men(tuhotep) G5-D1*p:a-<-mn:n-HASH->-mAa:a-xrw-w 13. Intef the Elder Intef r:p:a-ini-n:t:f-mAa:a-xrw-w 14. 15. Pepi I Meryre Pepi nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-p-p-i-i->-mAa:a-xrw-w 16. Merenre Nemtyemsaf I Merenre sw:t-bit:t-nb:N19-<-ra:U7-r:n->-U4:a-xrw-w Third Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 17. Amenemhat I Sehotepibre sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-s-Htp:t*p-ib->-U4:a-xrw-w 18. Amenemhat II Nubkaure nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-ra:nbw-kA*kA:kA->-U4:a-xrw-w 19. 20. 21. Amenemhat IV Maakherure nTr-nfr-nb:N19-sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-U5:a-xrw-w->-U4:a-xrw-w 22. Sobekneferu Sobekneferu sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-sbk-nfr-w->-U4:a-xrw-w 23. Sehetepkare Intef? Intef nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-ini-n:t:f->-U4:a-xrw-w Bottom Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 24. Senusret I Kheperkare nTr-nfr-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-xpr-kA->-U4:a-xrw-w 25. Seqenenre Tao Seqenenre sw:t-bit:t-nb:N19-<-ra:z-q-n:n->-U4:a-xrw-w 26. Senakhtenre Ahmose Senakhtenre nTr-nfr-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra:z-xt:x*t-D40:n->-U4:a-xrw-w 27. Bebiankh Seuserenre sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-wsr*s:n->-U4:a-xrw-w 28. Nubkheperre Intef Nubkheperre nTr-nfr-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra:nbw-xpr->-U4:a-xrw-w 29. Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre nTr-nfr-nb:N19-sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra:nb-zmA->-U4:a-xrw-w 30. Mentuhotep III Seneferkare nTr-nb:N19-nfr-nb:ir:ra*t-<-ra-s-nfr-kA->-U4:a-xrw-w 31. Mentuhotep IV? (Nebtawy)re nTr-nb:N19-nfr-nb:ir:ra*t-<-ra-HASH->-U4:a-xrw-w

Right side Top Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 32. Senusret III? (Khakaure) nTr-nfr-<-ra:xa-kA->-P11-xrw-w (reconstitution) 33. Sobekhotep IV Khaneferre sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra:xa-nfr->-P11-xrw-w 34. Neferhotep I Khasekhemre nTr-nfr-<-ra:xa-abA->-P11-xrw-w 35. Sobekhotep III Sekhemre Sewadjtawy nTr-nfr-<-ra-abA-s-wAD-N19->-P11-xrw-w 36. Sobekhotep I Sekhemre Khutawy nTr-nfr-<-ra-x:a-abA-N19->-P11-xrw-w 37. Amenemhat VI Sankhibre sw:t-bit:t-nb:N19-<-ra-s-anx-ib->-P11-xrw-w 38. Nebiryraw I Sewadjenre nTr-nfr-<-ra-s-sk-mDAt:n->-P11-xrw-w 39. Snaaib? (…)khau(re) nTr-nfr-<-HASH-kA:Z2->-P11-xrw-w Second Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 40. 41. Neferhotep II Mersekhemre sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-U7-abA->-U4:a-xrw-w 42. Sobekhotep VII Merkaure nTr-nfr-<-ra-U7-kA:Z2->-U4:a-xrw-w 43. Sobekhotep VIII? Seusertawy sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-s-s-s-wsr-N17:N17->-U4:a-xrw-w 44. Unknown (…)(re) nTr-nfr-<-ra-HASH->-U4:a-xrw-w 45. Senusret IV? Senefer(ib)re sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-s-nfr-HASH->-U4:a-xrw-w 46. Sobekhotep VI Khahotepre nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-ra:xa-Htp:t*p->-U4:a-xrw-w 47. Khaankhre Sobekhotep Khaankhre sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra:xa-anx->-U4:a-xrw-w Third Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 48. Sekhemre Wahkhau Rahotep Wahkhaure nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-ra-sk-xa:Z2->-U4:a-xrw-w 49. Sewahenre Senebmiu Sewahenre sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-s-sk-mDAt:n->-U4:a-xrw-w 50. Merhotepre Sobekhotep Merhotepre nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-ra:U7-Htp:t*p->-U4:a-xrw-w 51. Wegaf Khutawire sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-D43:mDAt-N19:N21*N21->-U4:a-xrw-w 52. 53. 54. Sobekemsaf I Sekhemre Wadjkhau sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-abA-sk-xa:Z2->-U4:a-xrw-w Bottom Row#RulerInscribed nameHieroglyphs 55. Unknown (…)re nTr-nfr-nb:N19-sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-HASH->-P11-zmA-w 56. Seneferankhre? Senefer(…)re nTr-nfr-nb:N19-sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-s-nfr-HASH->-P11-zmA 57. Sewadjare Mentuhotep? Sewadj(n)re nTr-nfr-nb:N19-<-ra-s*wAD:n->-U4:a-xrw-w 58. Sekhemre Shedwaset? Sekhemre (…) nTr-nfr-nb:N19-sw:t-bit:t-nb:ir-ra:t-<-ra-abA-Z1-HASH->-P11-zmA 59. 60. 61.

Gallery

See also Abydos King List Manetho King List Palermo Stone Ramesseum king list Saqqara Tablet Turin King List Medinet Habu king list

Notes

References

External links

Lepsius drawing from APAW 1852 from Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften Karnak king list with complete hieroglyphics, sources and pictures